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“Michelin’s association with Formula E was an obvious choice”

Every one of the 40 electric racing cars that will compete in the new Formula E Championship, starting in Beijing,on September 13, 2014, will use identical tires: the MICHELIN Pilot Sport EV which was developed specifically for this new competition. As MICHELIN Motorsports director Pascal Couasnon tells us, this is not simply a strategic option in technology terms; it was also an obvious choice.

Why has Michelin become involved in Formula E?

There are three main reasons. In the first place, the Formula E Championship addresses a set of problems that have always preoccupied the Michelin Group: how to drive mobility forward. Our signature ‘A Better Way Forward’ encapsulates our mission. It’s been Michelin’s driving force since 1889.

Secondly, this new championship has a city-center setting and a format that will put us in touch with the urban audience. With the E-village being set up beside these street circuits, this new audience will provide many opportunities to achieve a better understanding of the role tires play in sustainable mobility.

Last but not least, we see this as a championship for the future, one that will attract strong media coverage and consequently provide our brand with increased visibility and the opportunity to underline the values Michelin embodies.

How can Formula E help Michelin to take mobility forward?

Motorsports in general and Formula E in particular serve as real-life laboratories which encourage all the players to bring an innovative approach to the table. Formula E will not only help us to make tires specifically for electric vehicles, but it will also help us to improve all of our tires in terms of their energy efficiency. Energy consumption and range are two criteria that are influenced by a tire’s resistance to forward movement. If you have a tire that’s efficient in energy terms, that means lower energy consumption, whether that energy be provided by petrol, diesel or electricity, and this translates into increased range. It’s this kind of information that we will harvest from our involvement with Formula E. The new technologies that flow from there will benefit the entire MICHELIN product line.

The Michelin Pilot Sport EV tires on these Formula E cars look very like the 245/40R18s we see on production sports cars. Will it be commercially available?

Yes, there is a striking similarity, isn’t there? But the Michelin Pilot Sport EV on these cars is a tire for limited use, covered by trade secrets, and it will never find its way on to a production car. Having said that, we are clearly going to use the technologies we are trialling on this tire in the production of future ranges. And we are delighted that these cars are running with 18-inch rims – a world first for a single-seater racing car which Michelin has been advocating for years – because that size will make technology transfer from race-track to road so much faster.

Pioneering, testing, inventing to advance mobility is truly the spirit of Michelin.

Our mission

Michelin, the leading tire company, is dedicated to enhancing its clients’ mobility, sustainably; designing and distributing the most suitable tires, services and solutions for its clients’ needs; providing digital services, maps and guides to help enrich trips and travels and make them unique experiences; and developing high-technology materials that serve the mobility industry. Headquartered in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Michelin is present in 170 countries, has 111,700 employees and operates 68 production facilities in 17 countries which together produced 187 million tires in 2016.

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They also allow you to share content with other people or to make your browsing known to said people and express you opinion.Click here to find out more about the cookies we use and their purpose.